How stetson hat is made - material, making, history, used, procedure, steps, product, machine, History Stetson Hat Background The Stetson hat, named after its inventor, John B. Stetson, is synonymous with the more generic cowboy hat. A symbol of Western pride and bravado, this modified sombrero, with its large crown and wide brim, has graced the heads of America's most treasured Western heroes, from old-time favorites like actor John Wayne, Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger, and country singer Gene Autry, to modern-day popular artists like Garth Brooks and Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing on the television series Dallas. (J.R.'s hat is now displayed in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's contemporary Americana exhibit.) The Stetson hat is not just a male fashion statement, either. Prominent country singers from Dale Evans to Trisha Yearwood, spurred on by legendary female maverick Annie Oakley, have proven that females can carry off this most essential Western look, too. The Stetson Hat Company was established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1865 when John B.

Stetson decided to mass-produce the modified sombrero he had fashioned for himself out of necessity during a lengthy Western expedition. Stetson's "Boss of the Plains" model, with its high, creased crown and wide, molded brim, became the prototype for all other cowboy hat designs. Now located in St. Joseph, Missouri, the Stetson hat factory there and its second factory in Galveston, Texas, continue to turn out the "Boss of the Plains," along with over 100 variations for men and women. History John B. Stetson was born in 1830 in Orange, New Jersey, the 12th of 13 children born to Stephen Stetson, a hatmaker. As a youth, the younger Stetson worked in the hatmaking business with his father until he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and his doctor predicted he would have only a short time to live. Given this dire prognosis, Stetson left the hatmaking business to explore the American West, afraid this would be his only chance to see it. He eventually settled in St. Joseph, Missouri, a trading post where expeditions to Pike's Peak and similar western destinations were outfitted.

In the 1860s, unable to enlist to serve in the Civil War due to his poor health, Stetson set off on a Pike's Peak expedition himself and found himself becoming healthier throughout the course of the journey. When his party was unable to find suitable shelter, Stetson and the others fashioned makeshift cover by sewing together the skins of the muskrat, rabbit, beaver, and coyote they had shot for food. Given their rustic environs, the men had no means of tanning the hides, however. Then, Stetson suggested that he make cloth for tents using the felting process he had learned in his father's hatmaking business. He shaved the fur from some of the skins and fashioned a hunter's bow from a section of a hickory sapling and a throng from one of the skins. Stetson agitated the fur with the bow, keeping it in a small cloud in the air and eventually allowing it to fall to the ground and naturally distribute itself over a small area. As the fur fell to the ground, Stetson blew a fine spray of water from his mouth through the fur, creating a mat that could be lifted from the ground and rolled.

Stetson then dipped the sheet of matted fur into a pot of boiling water. As the sheet began to shrink, he manipulated it with his hands, rapidly and repeatedly dipping it in hot water and eventually forming a small, soft blanket. By repeating this process, Stetson and the other members of his party created enough of this water-repellent material to construct a tent. This same method is employed in felt-making today, although the fur is raised to the air by a fan and the water is sprayed mechanically. To shield himself from the daytime sun, wind, and rain, Stetson also fashioned a hat from the felt. The high, indented crown and wide brim were modeled after the Mexican sombrero. According to legend, the other members of Stetson's party ridiculed him for wearing the hat until a passing bullwhacker from Mexico one day offered Stetson a five dollar gold piece for his invention. After mining gold at Pike's Peak for a year, Stetson traveled to Philadelphia in 1865 and set up a small hatmaking business with $100 for the purchase of tools and fur.

After designing several unsuccessful models, Stetson again created his modified sombrero with a 4 in (10 cm) crown and a 4 in (10 cm) brim and, when he was unable to sell Easterners on the innovation, began to market his product, grandly dubbed the "Boss of the Plains," in the Southwest, where it took off almost immediately. By the time Stetson died in 1906, his business was a booming success, and the company that bears his name still turns out a wide variety of Western hats at its St. Joseph and Galveston factories. Today, the Western hat is nearly as popular in the eastern United States, not to mention internationally, as it is in the American West. Raw Materials The primary component of the Stetson hat is felt, which is fashioned from a variety of fur, preferably beaver, rabbit, and wild hare. Hot water is also integral to the felting process. Dyes are used to achieve a variety of felt colors (the original color of the felt depends on the color of the original fur). Powder is used to soften the felt. Leather is another component of the process, used to form the interior sweatband of the hat.

Attaching the sweatband may require glue. Two-ply or two-cord band is used to create the ribbon that encircles the outside of the crown where it meets the brim, and thread is used to stitch the ribbon. Small metal eyelets are also typically used for venting. Design For the style-conscious, three of the most important considerations in purchasing a Stetson hat are the slope of the crown, the roll of the brim, and the number and arrangement of the creases, or pinches, in the crown, which are viewed as giving each Stetson its distinctive character. The pinch can be prefabricated or chosen by the consumer and blocked by the hatter. Cowboy hats may also be adorned with feathers, embroidery, silver accessories, and the like. The appeal of the Stetson hat for many is that, when fitted in cowboy boots and a Stetson, the wearer appears at least 6 in (15 cm) taller. The Manufacturing Process Carroting, cutting, and sorting 1 Typically beaver, rabbit, and wild hare pelts are used. They are cleaned to remove grease and other impurities. 2 An acid solution is applied to the fur which prepares it for the felting process.

This procedure is known as carroting. 3 The skins are then fed through a cutting machine, fur side down, and the skin is cut from the fur. 4 The fur is then sorted by feeding it through blowing and picking machines. 5 Next, the fur is bagged in 5 lb (2.27 kg) increments and baled for shipment to the rough body plant. Felt mixing and initial shaping 6 First, the fur must be weighed out and the three types combined to the company's specifications for the appropriate mix. 7 The fur is cleaned and then placed in a giant bin and mixed into a fine blend. 8 Next, the fur is forwarded into a feeder, where it is broken down into an even softer blend. 9 From the feeder, the fur is forwarded into a blowing machine and, upon exit from the machine, bad fibers are manually removed from the mix. 10 Next, the mixture is placed on a conveyer, which presses the mixture out into long sheets. 11 These sheets are then blown onto a large dome-shaped prototype, known as a former dome, which sets the initial body of the hat.

The dome spins around rapidly for approximately 30 seconds, gathering the fur much in the same way a spinner wraps cotton candy. 12 The former dome is placed in hot water for 35 seconds to mold the fur fibers into place. Felting and dyeing 13 Through a series of applications of hot water, pressure, and rolling, known as "starting" and "stumping," the dome-shaped figure is dipped in hot water and twisted. 14 The hat is then placed in a hardening machine four times. Over the course of these two steps, the hat begins to shrink from its original size of almost 2 ft (61 cm). 15 The hat bodies are then dyed with various pigments to create a range of colors. Initial blocking and pouncing 16 Blocking, or shaping, is performed by a three-person team. First, a tipper stretches the crown of the hat. Next, a brimmer forms the band-line and brim. A blocker then sets the shape of the hat and applies a stiffening substance. 17 The hat is then turned inside out and hung to dry overnight.

18 The next day, the hat is sandpapered to remove any surface hair that was not eliminated in the blowing process. This procedure is known as pouncing and the overall operation is technically known as the back-shop. 19 The two-ply or two-cord band is stitched around the outer bottom of the crown of the hat, where it meets the brim. Western blocking and finishing 20 The hat is steamed and an appropriately sized wooden block is pressed in the crown for shaping. 21 The crown of the hat is then ironed and the brim is plated. 22 The hat is then placed on a crown-pouncing machine, which uses very fine sand paper to remove any excess fur and finish the hat. 23 Powder is applied to make the hat softer and the color richer (this step is eliminated for dark-colored hats). 24 The hat is again placed in the pouncing machine. 25 The shape of the brim is set and dry heat is applied. The brim is then pressed to maintain its shape. Sweatband 26 Excess plastic wire, known as polyreed, is cut off the leather sweat-band to make it lay flat. 27 The band is hand-fitted inside the hat.

28 Any excess leather is cut off. 29 The band is stitched and then tacked or glued. 30 The hat is cleaned, brushed, and steamed. 31 The final cutting of the brim is executed. Creasing and miscellaneous details 32 A bow is stitched to the outer two-ply or two-cord hatband. 33 The hat is hand-creased. 34 A satin name pad is pressed and steamed inside the crown. 35 If eyelets are required, they are placed in the crown at this point. 36 A cleaning instructions tag is glued to the crown. Quality Control Stetson hats are subject to many stages of inspection to check that the finish, shape, body, and feel are appropriate and to identify any flaws. One major factor in determining the price of a Stetson hat is the quality of the felt, demarcated by the number of "x"s that appear on the sweatband. Factors contributing to the quality of the felt include the fur and skin types, the living environment of the animal from which the fur was culled (wild, domestic, or season), the age of the fur, and its color.

The Future Western hats are considered as stylish today as they were when they were invented. The Stetson Hat Company and many others are continually developing new variations on the style of this product and exploring different materials such as straw and leather. Where to Learn More John Batterson Stetson facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about John Batterson Stetson COPYRIGHT 1996 Gale Research Inc. Stetson Hat Background The Stetson hat, named after its inventor, John B. Stetson, is synonymous with the more generic cowboy hat. A symbol of Western pride and bravado, this modified sombrero, with its large crown and wide brim, has graced the heads of America's most treasured Western heroes, from old-time favorites like actor John Wayne, Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger, and country singer Gene Autry, to modern-day popular artists like Garth Brooks and Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing on the television series Dallas. (J.R.'s hat is now displayed in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's contemporary Americana exhibit.) The Stetson hat is not just a male fashion statement, either.

Prominent country singers from Dale Evans to Trisha Yearwood, spurred on by legendary female maverick Annie Oakley, have proven that females can carry off this most essential Western look, too. The Stetson Hat Company was established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1865 when John B. Stetson decided to mass-produce the modified sombrero he had fashioned for himself out of necessity during a lengthy Western expedition. Stetson's "Boss of the Plains" model, with its high, creased crown and wide, molded brim, became the prototype for all other cowboy hat designs. Now located in St. Joseph, Missouri, the Stetson hat factory there and its second factory in Galveston, Texas, continue to turn out the "Boss of the Plains," along with over 100 variations for men and women. History John B. Stetson was born in 1830 in Orange, New Jersey, the 12th of 13 children born to Stephen Stetson, a hatmaker. As a youth, the younger Stetson worked in the hatmaking business with his father until he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and his doctor predicted he would have only a short time to live.

Given this dire prognosis, Stetson left the hatmaking business to explore the American West, afraid this would be his only chance to see it. He eventually settled in St. Joseph, Missouri, a trading post where expeditions to Pike's Peak and similar western destinations were outfitted. In the 1860s, unable to enlist to serve in the Civil War due to his poor health, Stetson set off on a Pike's Peak expedition himself and found himself becoming healthier throughout the course of the journey. When his party was unable to find suitable shelter, Stetson and the others fashioned makeshift cover by sewing together the skins of the muskrat, rabbit, beaver, and coyote they had shot for food. Given their rustic environs, the men had no means of tanning the hides, however. Then, Stetson suggested that he make cloth for tents using the felting process he had learned in his father's hatmaking business. He shaved the fur from some of the skins and fashioned a hunter's bow from a section of a hickory sapling and a throng from one of the skins.

Stetson agitated the fur with the bow, keeping it in a small cloud in the air and eventually allowing it to fall to the ground and naturally distribute itself over a small area. As the fur fell to the ground, Stetson blew a fine spray of water from his mouth through the fur, creating a mat that could be lifted from the ground and rolled. Stetson then dipped the sheet of matted fur into a pot of boiling water. As the sheet began to shrink, he manipulated it with his hands, rapidly and repeatedly dipping it in hot water and eventually forming a small, soft blanket. By repeating this process, Stetson and the other members of his party created enough of this water-repellent material to construct a tent. This same method is employed in felt-making today, although the fur is raised to the air by a fan and the water is sprayed mechanically. To shield himself from the daytime sun, wind, and rain, Stetson also fashioned a hat from the felt. The high, indented crown and wide brim were modeled after the Mexican sombrero.

According to legend, the other members of Stetson's party ridiculed him for wearing the hat until a passing bullwhacker from Mexico one day offered Stetson a five dollar gold piece for his invention. After mining gold at Pike's Peak for a year, Stetson traveled to Philadelphia in 1865 and set up a small hatmaking business with $100 for the purchase of tools and fur. After designing several unsuccessful models, Stetson again created his modified sombrero with a 4 in (10 cm) crown and a 4 in (10 cm) brim and, when he was unable to sell Easterners on the innovation, began to market his product, grandly dubbed the "Boss of the Plains," in the Southwest, where it took off almost immediately. By the time Stetson died in 1906, his business was a booming success, and the company that bears his name still turns out a wide variety of Western hats at its St. Joseph and Galveston factories. Today, the Western hat is nearly as popular in the eastern United States, not to mention internationally, as it is in the American West.

Raw Materials The primary component of the Stetson hat is felt, which is fashioned from a variety of fur, preferably beaver, rabbit, and wild hare. Hot water is also integral to the felting process. Dyes are used to achieve a variety of felt colors (the original color of the felt depends on the color of the original fur). Powder is used to soften the felt. Leather is another component of the process, used to form the interior sweatband of the hat. Attaching the sweatband may require glue. Two-ply or two-cord band is used to create the ribbon that encircles the outside of the crown where it meets the brim, and thread is used to stitch the ribbon. Small metal eyelets are also typically used for venting. Design For the style-conscious, three of the most important considerations in purchasing a Stetson hat are the slope of the crown, the roll of the brim, and the number and arrangement of the creases, or pinches, in the crown, which are viewed as giving each Stetson its distinctive character. The pinch can be prefabricated or chosen by the consumer and blocked by the hatter.

Cowboy hats may also be adorned with feathers, embroidery, silver accessories, and the like. The appeal of the Stetson hat for many is that, when fitted in cowboy boots and a Stetson, the wearer appears at least 6 in (15 cm) taller. The Manufacturing Process Carroting, cutting, and sorting 1 Typically beaver, rabbit, and wild hare pelts are used. They are cleaned to remove grease and other impurities. 2 An acid solution is applied to the fur which prepares it for the felting process. This procedure is known as carroting. 3 The skins are then fed through a cutting machine, fur side down, and the skin is cut from the fur. 4 The fur is then sorted by feeding it through blowing and picking machines. 5 Next, the fur is bagged in 5 lb (2.27 kg) increments and baled for shipment to the rough body plant. Felt mixing and initial shaping 6 First, the fur must be weighed out and the three types combined to the company's specifications for the appropriate mix. 7 The fur is cleaned and then placed in a giant bin and mixed into a fine blend.

8 Next, the fur is forwarded into a feeder, where it is broken down into an even softer blend. 9 From the feeder, the fur is forwarded into a blowing machine and, upon exit from the machine, bad fibers are manually removed from the mix. 10 Next, the mixture is placed on a conveyer, which presses the mixture out into long sheets. 11 These sheets are then blown onto a large dome-shaped prototype, known as a former dome, which sets the initial body of the hat. The dome spins around rapidly for approximately 30 seconds, gathering the fur much in the same way a spinner wraps cotton candy. 12 The former dome is placed in hot water for 35 seconds to mold the fur fibers into place. Felting and dyeing 13 Through a series of applications of hot water, pressure, and rolling, known as "starting" and "stumping," the dome-shaped figure is dipped in hot water and twisted. 14 The hat is then placed in a hardening machine four times. Over the course of these two steps, the hat begins to shrink from its original size of almost 2 ft (61 cm).

15 The hat bodies are then dyed with various pigments to create a range of colors. Initial blocking and pouncing 16 Blocking, or shaping, is performed by a three-person team. First, a tipper stretches the crown of the hat. Next, a brimmer forms the band-line and brim. A blocker then sets the shape of the hat and applies a stiffening substance. 17 The hat is then turned inside out and hung to dry overnight. 18 The next day, the hat is sandpapered to remove any surface hair that was not eliminated in the blowing process. This procedure is known as pouncing and the overall operation is technically known as the back-shop. 19 The two-ply or two-cord band is stitched around the outer bottom of the crown of the hat, where it meets the brim. Western blocking and finishing 20 The hat is steamed and an appropriately sized wooden block is pressed in the crown for shaping. 21 The crown of the hat is then ironed and the brim is plated. 22 The hat is then placed on a crown-pouncing machine, which uses very fine sand paper to remove any excess fur and finish the hat.

23 Powder is applied to make the hat softer and the color richer (this step is eliminated for dark-colored hats). 24 The hat is again placed in the pouncing machine. 25 The shape of the brim is set and dry heat is applied. The brim is then pressed to maintain its shape. Sweatband 26 Excess plastic wire, known as polyreed, is cut off the leather sweat-band to make it lay flat. 27 The band is hand-fitted inside the hat. 28 Any excess leather is cut off. 29 The band is stitched and then tacked or glued. 30 The hat is cleaned, brushed, and steamed. 31 The final cutting of the brim is executed. Creasing and miscellaneous details 32 A bow is stitched to the outer two-ply or two-cord hatband. 33 The hat is hand-creased. 34 A satin name pad is pressed and steamed inside the crown. 35 If eyelets are required, they are placed in the crown at this point. 36 A cleaning instructions tag is glued to the crown.

Quality Control Stetson hats are subject to many stages of inspection to check that the finish, shape, body, and feel are appropriate and to identify any flaws. One major factor in determining the price of a Stetson hat is the quality of the felt, demarcated by the number of "x"s that appear on the sweatband. Factors contributing to the quality of the felt include the fur and skin types, the living environment of the animal from which the fur was culled (wild, domestic, or season), the age of the fur, and its color. The Future Western hats are considered as stylish today as they were when they were invented. The Stetson Hat Company and many others are continually developing new variations on the style of this product and exploring different materials such as straw and leather. Where to Learn More Reynolds, William and Ritch Rand. The Cowboy Hat Book. Gibbs Smith, 1995. Other Biltmore Hats. "The Story of the Cowboy Hat." ~biltmore/story.html(July 9, 1997). —KristinPalm Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language © Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language 1998, originally published by Oxford University Press 1998. EPONYM. 1. A personal NAME from which a WORD has been derived: John B. Stetson, the 19c US hatter after whom the stetson hat was named. 2. The person whose name is so used: The Roman emperor Constantine, who gave his name to Constantinople. 3. The word so derived: stetson, Constantinople. The process of eponymy results in many forms: (1) Such simple eponyms as atlas, which became popular after the 16c Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator put the figure of the titan Atlas on the cover of a book of maps. (2) COMPOUNDS and ATTRIBUTIVE constructions such as loganberry after the 19c US lawyer James H. Logan, and Turing machine after the 20c British mathematician Alan Turing. (3) Possessives such as Parkinson's Law after the 20c British economist C.

Northcote Parkinson, and the Islets of Langerhans after the 19c German pathologist Paul Langerhans. (4) DERIVATIVES such as Bowdlerize and gardenia, after the 18c English expurgator of Shakespeare , Thomas Bowdler, and the 19c Scottish-American physician Alexander Garden. (5) CLIPPINGS , such as dunce from the middle name and first element of the last name of the learned 13c Scottish friar and theologian John Duns Scotus, whose rivals called him a fool. (6) BLENDS such as gerrymander, after the US politician Elbridge Gerry (b. 1744), whose redrawn map of the voting districts of Massachusetts in 1812 was said to look like a salamander, and was then declared a gerrymander. The word became a verb soon after. See -ONYM , WORD-FORMATION . Cite this article The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright The Columbia University Press John Batterson Stetson, 1830–1906, American hat manufacturer, b. Orange, N.J.

Stetson, who had learned hatmaking, traveled to the West in the 1860s to improve his health. He returned to Philadelphia and began manufacturing hats suited to the needs of the Western cowboy. These hats, known as Stetsons, soon became the popular headgear of the West. The John B. Stetson Company, formed in 1885, became, under his direction, one of the largest hat firms in the world. He donated generously to DeLand Univ. (at DeLand, Fla.), which was renamed (1889) John B. Stetson Univ. (now Stetson Univ.). Cite this article It Had to Be a 'Good Un' It Had to Be a 'Good Un' By Patrick Bousquet, 1992 CLICK AN IMAGE TO ENLARGE In the annals of our Western History, there are such magical names as Colt, Winchester, William F. Cody, and Wells Fargo. There is another name, though, that has just as much magic: John B. Stetson.

Or, as it has been known, the "John B." The cowboy was usually dressed in two fine items: a pair of fine boots and a Stetson hat. Fred Gipson, in his book, Fabulous Empire, had these words to say, "Then out into the ring rode Bill Pickett on his little bulldogging horse Spraddly. Bill's show garb wasn't much, compared to the fancy rigs sported by the Mexican bullfighters. Bill had on a good pair of bench-made boots. All cowhands wore good boots. And he had a good white Stetson hat. In the cow Country he'd come from, that's all a cowhand needed to be considered dressed up  good boots and a Five-X Beaver Stetson. What he wore in between didn't much matter." In l965, I had been doing some research on John B. Stetson. I found out that G. Henry Stetson, remaining living son of John B. Stetson, lived close by. A few days later, I called at his home taking a chance that he might agree to an interview. His housekeeper took my name and my reason for calling on Mr. Stetson.

G. Henry agreed to see me but could not spend much time with me this particuler day. We set a time for the next week; this was the start of several visits. As I was leaving, G. Henry said, "Where the hell is your hat?" I was afraid this might happen; I owned two Stetson's but just hadn't worn one this day I explained. "Sure, sure," he said. He reached into the closet and took down a western hat and put it on my head. "Don't come back here without a hat!" The next time I saw G. Henry, I wore one of my Stetson hats. The hat that Mr. Stetson gave me was one of his personal hats with his name embossed inside. John B. Stetson was born in 1830, the youngest of twelve children born to Stephen Stetson, master hatmaker. He lived in Orange, New Jersey. Like his older brothers, John B. was trained in his father's trade. Because John B. was learning a trade, his father saw no need for formal education. So John became a self-made, self-educated man. His mother taught him to read and write.

Stephen Stetson emassed fifty thousand dollars which in his day made him a wealthy man. He decided to retire from being a hatter and invested his fortune in an area unfamilier to him. He lost everything. Discouraged and broke, Stephen died. His son's gathered up the remains of the business and tried to rebuild it. John B. was working for his older brother. He made hats, purchased raw materials, instructed hatmaking, and marketed the product only to see his brother garner the honors and the profits. Then came a shocker to John B.'s life. A doctor gave him a short time to live. He had consumption. After examining his own case, young Stetson decided not to die a young man. Instead he would head for the wide open spaces and try to regain his health. He saw no reason to throw away a life the good Lord had seen fit to give. In the late 1850s, he headed for those wide open spaces, which at this time began in Missouri. In St. Joseph, he joined a party heading for Pikes Peak. It was a long journey and most of the way he traveled on foot.

Trail hardships were many, and sleeping in the open there were all types of weather to face. Oftimes, crude shelters were made from animal skins which had to be discarded when hit by the searing sun. But through all this, John B.'s frail body began to gain strength and vigor. One particular day, the party had quite a difference of opinion over the fact that cloth could be made without weaving. John B. said he could prove it could be done. Thus, he demonstrated the art of felting. He shaved the fur off some skins and sliced a thong from one skin to make a hunter's bow. He then agitated the fur, making a small cloud of it in the air to separate the long hairs and dirt from the fine fur, an old process known to old-time hatters. Fur today is processed by machine. Using a mouthfull of water, he blew a fine spray over the gently falling fur. Next, he lifted and rolled the thin fur mat and worked it with his hands, dipping it frequently into a pot of boiling water. The fur shrank and fused toether, resulting in a little blanket of perfect felt. John B.

surprised his companions by making a tent shelter from more of the newly made felt which withstood the weather very well. It was during this period that John had an idea for a new hat which he designed. It was large, had a broad brim for protection from the sun and rain, and was high crowned. Shortly thereafter, a bullwacker met Stetson and his companions on the trail. He noticed the new hat, its ruggedness and servicebility, and was completly taken by the new style. He offered a five dollar gold piece for the hat and the first John B. Stetson was sold. In his book, The Story of the Cowboy (1897), E. Hough had this to say about the cowboy's hat, "The hat of the cowboy is one of the typical and striking features of his costume, and one upon which he always bestows the greatest of care. The tenderfoot is known upon the range by his hat. He thinks it correct to wear a wide white hat, and so buys one for a couple of dollars.

He is pained and grieved to find that at the ranch he is derided for wearing a "wool hat," and he is still more discontented with his head covering when he finds that the first heavy rain has caused it to lop down and lose all its shape. The cowboy riding by his side wears a heavy white felt hat with a heavy leather band buckled about it, which perhaps he bought five years before at a cost of fifteen or twenty dollars; but he refers with pride to the fact that it is a "genuwine Stetson, an' a shore good un." There has been no head covering devised so suitable as this for the uses of the plains. The heavy boardlike felt is practically indestructible. The brim flaps a little, and in time, comes to be turned up, and possibly held fast to the crown by means of a thong. The cowpuncher may stiffen the brim by passing a thong through a series of holes pierced through the outer edge. The heavy texture of this felt repels the blazing rays of the sun better than any helmet. There are no recorded cases of sunstroke on the range.

The record might be different were straw hats or "derbys" substituted for the rational headgear which for so long has been the accepted thing in the cowboy country. The cowboy can depend upon his hat at all seasons. In the rain it is an umbrella. In the sun it is a shade and a safeguard. At night, if he sleeps cold, he can place it beneath his hips, and in the winter he can tie it down about his ears with his hankerchief, thus escaping the frostbite which sometimes assails tenderfeet who rely upon the best of caps with ear-flaps. A derby hat is classed contemptuously under the general term "hard hat." In the book,"Tim McCoy Remembers the West," Tim writes about the cowboy's dress, "The only brand of hat allowed was Stetson, named after John B. Stetson, who made the first western hat." (1977) For a year John remained in Pikes Peak placering for gold although he made no large fortune. But, he did gain his good health and was now big and strong. He decided it was time to return East and build a business. Returning East, he stopped at St.

Joseph, Missouori, to work in a brickyard. He became its manager and, later, part owner. One thing Stetson did not count on was Mother Nature. The Missouri river went on a rampage and overflowed, carrying two year's of hard work away on downstream (former accounts state this venture occurred on John B.'s trip West. In a personal interview with G. Henry Stetson, he states it happened on John's returning to the East coast.) Still a young man and undaunted, at age thirty five, he had fresh ideas and was full of ambition. With his saved earnings from the Colorado diggings, he returned to Philadelphia. It was now 1865 and our country was setting about mending itself from the devastation of the Civil War. During these times, Stetson prospered and his business was in an upstairs room located at Seventh and Callowell streets. This was the beginning of the John B. Stetson Company. Stetson was following the mold of the times and copied the current styles but, soon became unhappy with this style of marketing and decided to put his hidden ideas into effect.

Stetson's new hat concept did not meet with overnight success; fact is, he was informed, "Hat styles come from Europe." But Stetson was an enduring sort. He designed a hat of the finest, softest felt money could buy and at half the weight of other hats. He again visited the hat dealers and in one shop, his new creation caught the eye of a waiting customer who bought the hat on the spot. Quickly, the dealer placed an order for a dozen hats and Stetson had his first large order. Still, not satisfied with the local trade, Stetson's thoughts drifted back to Colorado; the big hat and the five dollar gold piece he'd sold the hat for. He thought about the cowboy and cattle barons. Thus was born the western hat, "The Boss of the Plains." This new design was an immediate success and Stetson created new western hats. Stetson's hats became "The Hat of the West." George Armstrong Custer is supposed to have worn a Stetson at the Little Big Horn battle. Colonel William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) wore the Stetson hat as a scout and later in his Wild West Show.

Stetson even made a "Buffalo Bill" style hat. G. Henry Stetson remarked in one of my interviews that Bill Cody visited the Stetson Company once a year to pick out new hats. There were many movie greats who wore Stetson hats, including Tim McCoy, Buck Jones, Hoot Gibson, Ken Maynard, and one of the all time greats, Tom Mix. Again, in his book, "Tim McCoy Remembers the West," Tim writes, "In the early days of Hollywood, whenever we heard the term "Hollywood Cowboy," it was usually meant to imply a fellow wearing a tall white Stetson hat and high-heeled boots who worked in the motion-picture business. That term certainly never referred to an old-time cowhand working on the ranges of Wyoming, Montana or Oregon." Some later western actors who wore Stetson hats were John Wayne, Jim Arness, and Lorne Green. In 1926, the Stetson Company sent a Tom Mix display around the country on tour. It included some of Tom's saddles, guns, photos, and two of his white Stetson hats in two different shapes.

The Stetson Company has no record of this but I have a magazine photo of it from Tom's personal scrapbooks. (Books are in author's collection.) Tom Mix wore only the Stetson brand before and after he became a western star. Stetson still makes this style today and calls it the Tom Mix hat. Tom Mix ordered dozens of his style hat and would take them on tour. He would present them to royalty and dignitaries; many of the hats were autographed. Many other well knowns were Stetson fanciers. J. Frank Dobie, Owen Wister, The Texas Rangers, Royal Mounted Police of Canada, Zane Grey, and even the Boy Scouts of America. Today, according to the Stetson Company, there is no heavy emphasis on Stetson's for law enforcement agencies. Even the Boy Scout campaign hat is made by someone else today. In 1950, Adams W. Calkins wrote some short articles on Cowboy life and had this to say about the western hat, "It's true nothin' makes a man look more like a cowboy than a big hat, but whatever the style, it's the pride of the puncher's outfit.

A big hat's the earmark of the cow country, all right. But there's more to it than a wide brim. A range man kin' almost tell where a man comes from by the size and shape of his hat, and the way he creases it. "With the sun soakin' the tallow outa his spinal column, the cowhand's wide brim is like ridin' in the shade of a Juniper tree. The high crown furnishes a heap o'space to keep the head cool. With a wide brim shadin' the eyes you can see long distances without gettin' sun-blind. And if the sun's at your back, you just tilt the old John B. for neck protection." The cowboy could use his hat for a canteen, quirt, water trough, or even a clothes duster." In 1906, at the age of 76, John B. Stetson died, but he also left his mark as a humanitarian. Many of his efforts were seventy years ahead of today's "fringe benefits." Stetson was concerned with the welfare of his employees and many of his endeavors were "firsts" in the hat industry; some in any industry.

One of these was the Employees Building and Loan Association. What this did was to encourage restless and rootless employess to settle down. These funds also accumulated in this plan. Deserving employees were issued association shares as bonuses at Christmas time. These shares were paid for by the company to maturity. The association later became known as The Stetson Savings and Loan Association. The Association is no longer in existence. John B. also extended other niceties such as cash bonuses to selected employees for long service and good work. Single men received hats and married men turkeys. Women employees were given gloves and candy. He established a dispensary and through its growth the Union Mission Hospital came into being in 1887, and ten years later, it was incorporated as the Stetson Hospital, which I was unable to find in the current area phonebook. Having a deep-rooted faith, he organized a non-dennominational neighborhood Union Sunday School. Always, my return visits to G. Henry Stetson were warm and comfortable. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1887, and raised and attended school there.

He learned the hat business from the ground floor up and then became a member of the board of directors at a young age. His early years as a director involved a great deal of travel for the company. He related an instance he considered humorous that happened to him on one of his trips. G. Henry and Mrs. Stetson were visiting a Mr. Gunzeco Iguchi and members of the Tokyo Hat Company at a dinner given for the Stetsons. Mr. Stetson found sitting crosslegged at the low tables awkward. A backrest was provided so he could stretch out his legs. When it came time to get up, two men had to help Mr. Stetson to his feet. On one particular visit, G. Henry showed me many memementos of the family. Then he asked me to meet in the patio for he had something to show me that had just arrived at his home. When he joined me on the patio a few minutes later, he was wearing a beautiful old style western hat. "How do you like it," he asked? "This is a copy of one of the first hats that my father made, The Boss of the Plains.

Each of the Death Valley 49ers Encampment officials had one made as their official hat for the encampment." (1965) The hat was indeed beautiful and I asked if it would ever be in production. I would like to purchase one for my collection of Stetson western hats. He said they would not; they were made only for the officials. In earlier years, the Stetson Company had licensed agents outside of the Unites States to make hats to their specifications. At one time, there was a company in Mexico making Stetson Sombrero's. Years ago, you could have a Stetson catalog sent to your home and you could order from it. Also, years ago, the western wear catalogs had a least three pages of Stetson western hats from which to choose. Today, you might see four or five models in a catalog. Some of the many names of the models were San Fernando Valley, San Fran and San Fran Jr., Laloo and Laloo Jr., Oregon Trail, Sundance, and Texan. There was also a wider variety of colors than today. In 1971, the Stetson Company moved to St. Joseph, Missouri.

In 1987, the Stetson Hat company was purchased by the Resistol Hat company and all hat bodies are made by the company in Texas and all hats are shipped from the St. Joseph plant. The name Stetson is still maintained though. Today, if you want a Stetson in a particular way, it probably will have to be ordered; you may not be able to get it made your way and a store has to order at least three hats of the same style at one time  your's being one of the three. I checked this out with a few western stores in my general locality. Last year, I was able to get a Stetson hat the way I wanted it. I found it through an ad in The Western Horseman magazine. The store was the Custom Cowboy Shop in Sheridan, Wyoming. I had the hat my way and in my hands within seven working days. I put a friend of mine in touch with this same shop and they had the same experience. G. Henry Stetson died on January 11, 1983, at the age of 95. There are no longer any of the Stetson family connected with the Stetson firm.

My last visit with G. Henry Stetson was one I will never forget. After we had visited for a short time, he excused himself. When he returned, he presented me with one of the copies of The Boss of the Plains hats. It's one of the prize hats in my Stetson western hat collection. An unknown author has written a fitting tribute to the Stetson hat in the form of a poem: MY OLD STETSON HAT Stagger Lee Stagger Lee From Kim Beissel : Nick borrowed this book from Jim Sclavunos, did a quick edit on the words and they recorded it very quickly. This text is THE version. The other well known blues versions as already quoted in the Cave Inn bear very little resemblance to NCs version.: (The line which Nick added about "I'd crawl over 50 good pussies...." was lifted from an X-rated blues song called "Two Time Slim" by Snatch & The Poontangs. There is very little info on this track.

It dates from around 1969, and is available on a German compilation on the Zuzazz label called "If It Ain't a Hit I'll Eat My ...Baby") "The Life, The Lore, and Folk Poetry of the Black Hustler" by Dennis Wepman, Ronald B. Newman, Murray B. Binderman Holloway House, Los Angeles 1986 ISBN 0-87067-367-X (Trad. c. 1895) Transcribed in Auburn Prison, New York, 1967 "The toasts in this collection were taken down in shorthand from spontaneous recitations during the 1950's and 60's by one of us, at that time an inmate in the prisons of New York - Sing Sing, Clinton, Attica, and Auburn." "The proto-toast "Stagger Lee" has been widely printed and discussed since a version of it appeared in "The Journal Of American Folklore" in 1911. The ballad is apparently based on the killing of one Billy Lyon by an already notorious badman named Lee.

The fight or murder is variously explained, but it usually has something to do with Billy's stealing, winning, or spitting on Stag's milk-white Stetson Hat. In the toast which has evolved from this bully-ballad, the cause of the shooting is usually reduced to the victim's opposition to Stag. In this version Stag's motives for killing Billy seems to be sheer meanness. In all versions, Stag is the victor, and sometimes he triumphs even after his execution for the murder - by bullying the devil into relinquishing the rule of Hell to him. The version presented here has no such grand dimension" "This version came from Big Stick, a black hustler from upstate New York, in Auburn [prison] in 1967. Stick was about twenty and said he had known it for years." Stagger Lee Back in '32 when times were hard, He had a Colt .45 and a deck of cards, Rat-drawn shoes, an old Stetson hat, A '28 Ford and payments on that. His woman threw him out in the ice and snow, And told him not to come back there no more.

He hadn't copped for a long, long time, And he had to play with Jojo 'cause he didn't have a dime. He walked through rain and he walked through mud, Till he came to a place called the Bucket of Blood. He said, "Mr. Motherfucker, you must know who I am." Barkeep said, "No, and I don't give a good goddamn." He said, "Well, bartender, it's plain to see, I'm that bad motherfucker named Stagger Lee." Barkeep said, "Yeah, I heard your name down the way, But I kick motherfucking asses like you every day." Well, those were the last words the barkeep said, 'Cause Stag put four holes in his motherfucking head. Just then in came a broad named Nellie Brown, Known to have more coins than any bitch in town. She came 'cross the bar, pulling up her skirt, The way the bitch always started to flirt.

She dug the barkeep and said, "He can't be dead." Stag said, "Well just count them holes in the motherfucker's head." She said, "You look like you ain't copped in quite a time. Why not come to my pad. It won't cost you a dime." "But there's something I'll have to say before you begin. You'll have to be gone when Billy Dilly comes in." "I'll stay there till Billy Dilly comes in, till time comes to pass. And furthermore I'll fuck Billy Dilly in his motherfucking ass." Well they started to fuck, and she started to fart. He said, "What's wrong, bitch?" She said, "Coming, sweetheart." Just then Billy Dilly rolled in and said, "You must be That bad motherfucker called Stagger Lee." "Yeah I'm Stagger Lee, and you'd better get down on your knees and slobber my head, 'Cause if you don't you're sure to be dead." Billy dropped down and slobbered on his head, But Stag filled him full of lead.

Glossary: Bitch: Woman (not always pejorative) Broad: Woman Colt .45: Type of pistol Cop: Obtain something illegally: sex, drugs, etc. Dime: Ten cents Head: Glans of the penis Jojo: Personification of the penis Motherfucker: Person (not always pejorative) Pad: Residence FROM THE HEART WITH GINI RIFKIN: Stetson®: THE BOSS OF THE PLAINS , New Jersey in 1830. His father, Stephen Stetson, was a successful hatter and taught his children the hatting trade. Having developed tuberculosis as a young man, a doctor advised John B. to move west and in 1859 he struck out for St. Joseph Missouri . While there, he tried to join the Union Army in the early 1860’s but was rejected do to his poor health. Undefeated he worked as a bricklayer which went fairly well until the river flooded and washed his business away. At loose ends, he joined a group heading west to the gold fields of Colorado . This didn’t “pan” out but during his stay in the mountains, he fashioned a head covering from beaver hides.

After a mule driver paid him a $5 gold piece for the hat right off his head, Mr. Stetson, being no fool, decided to refine, manufacture and sell this type of product. By 1865 he was back in Philadelphia working in the hat manufacturing trade. A year later the “Boss of the Plains” came into being, and after that came the front creased Carlsbad , destined to become “the” cowboy style. The Stetson® hat has captured the essence of the west, has become an American icon, and is now an indelible part of western history. The rugged individualism of the West was perfectly represented by a Hat that could be shaped differently by each wearer -- a punched-in crown, a bent brim, a braided leather band were all different ways to make a Stetson® one’s own. By 1886, Stetson owned the world’s biggest Hat factory in Philadelphia and employed nearly 4,000 workers. And by 1906, the factory was putting out about 2 million hats a year. John B. transformed hat making from a manual to a mechanized industry.

He introduced iron cutting and shaping machines, improving quality control. He was also among the first U.S. tycoons to offer benefits to reward workers for hard work. He dispensed free health care to employees and gave shares in his company to valued workers. As a philanthropist, he founded Stetson Philadelphia hospital. Inside the cowboy hat is a memorial bow to past hatters, who developed brain damage from treating felt with toxic mercury (which gave rise to the expression "Mad as a Hatter"). The bow on the inside hatband at the rear of the hat resembles a Skull and crossbones.[19] "Early hatters used mercury in the making of their felt. Their bodies absorbed mercury, and after several years of making hats, the hatters developed violent and uncontrollable muscle twitching. The ignorance of the times caused people to attribute these strange gyrations to madness, not mercury.” SINGING COWBOYS IN TEN GALLON HATS In the 19th century and first half of the 20th century, a hat was an indispensable item in every man’s wardrobe.

Stetson focused on expensive, high-quality hats that represented both a real investment for the working cowboy and statement of success for the city dweller. Early on, Stetson® hats became associated with legends of the West, including “Buffalo Bill” Cody, Calamity Jane, Will Rogers, and Annie Oakley. It is said that George Custer rode into the Battle of Little Big Horn wearing a Stetson® . Later on, Western movie cowboys were quick to adopt the Stetson® ; many were drawn to the largest most flamboyant styles available. Tom Mix, an early-20th century movie star, wore a ten gallon hat (my Mom rode in his car). Texans were known for their preference for the "Ten Gallon," model, possibly so named for its enormous crown which at least appeared to be able to hold ten gallons were it to be dipped into a stream and used as a pail. An early Stetson® advertising image, a painting of a cowboy dipping his hat into a stream to provide water for his horse symbolized the Cowboy hat as an essential part of a stockman’s gear.

According to Win Blevins' Dictionary of the American West (p388), the term "ten-gallon" has nothing to do with the hat's liquid capacity, but derives from the Spanish word galón (braid), ten indicating the number of braids used as a hat band. The first American law-enforcement agency to adopt Stetson’s western hat as part of their uniform was the Texas Rangers. In the Second Boer War, the flat brimmed Stetson® became the standard issue of the second Canadian Contingent, becoming recognized throughout the British Empire as a symbol of Canada . Canadian police, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police's (RCMP) Red Serge dress uniform includes a Stetson® with a flat brim. Tonight I'll be dreaming of Stetsons® and the men who wear them! I know, the Quigly hat isn't a Stetson® . It should have been.

Question: What type of headgear is named after a hatmaker born in New Jersey in 1830?
Answer: Stetson